'Finally feeling true to myself': TV reporter goes viral for rocking her natural hair on air for the first time

The Lansing, Mich., reporter recently shared a photo on Twitter, sharing her experience of wearing her hair natural on TV for the first time. The seemingly simple act took a lot of courage from the 21-year-old, who admits she straightens her hair daily.

I wore my natural hair on tv for the first time ever today! This has been an internal battle that I’ve been struggling with ever since I decided to become a reporter. Finally feeling true to myself 💗 #blackgirlmagicpic.twitter.com/f9x1u0XuQJ

“I wore my natural hair on tv for the first time ever today! This has been an internal battle that I’ve been struggling with ever since I decided to become a reporter. Finally feeling true to myself #blackgirlmagic,” wrote Whyte on Twitter.

Whyte told Teen Vogue that she’s been considering wearing her natural hair for a long time — especially after noticing the toll daily heat styling was taking on her locks.

“I started as a full-time reporter in May [2018], and I would straighten my hair literally every day,” said Whyte. “It was super damaging and my hair was starting to fall out, so I knew I had to make a change.”

Dana Whyte is receiving praise after writing a tweet about how it felt to wear her natural hair on TV as a black woman. (Photo: Twitter)

But that wasn’t the main reason she wanted to ditch the straightener. She said straightening her hair daily made her feel like she was “trying to conform to a certain image that society wanted” her to be.

“I think natural hair in journalism is becoming more common, but it still has a long way to go in terms of acceptance. Representation is so important. Little girls sitting at home watching the news need to be able to see someone who looks like them on television, so they know it’s possible for that to be them one day,” she said.

Needless to say, Twitter had a lot of love for the young newscaster.

I understand this struggle because I'm currently dealing with it 🙄 great inspo! Looks good 😊